Air battery is a battery using oxygen in the air as a cathode active material. An anode active material in this air battery is generally a metal and generates metal oxides or metal hydroxides through discharge reaction.
In conventional air batteries, oxygen incorporated from outside the battery is reduced to hydroxide ions by a cathode catalyst at a solid/gas interface between the catalyst and air, while an anode metal is oxidized by the hydroxide ions, so that electrochemical reaction progresses.
In Patent Document 1 there is disclosed an air battery comprising: an electrode pair in which a metal with an electrochemically lower potential such as magnesium and aluminum is made an anode and a metal with nobler potential than the anode, or a carbonaceous material, is made a cathode; an electrode connection conducting means; a dissolved oxygen supplying means; and an electrolytic solution comprising a chlorine ion such as sea water and brine. The dissolved oxygen supplying means is, for example, one that supplies air in the electrolytic solution by using a diffuser to expose the electrolytic solution to the air.